I only met Steve Mead once, at a party for a group of cyclists who were planning to ride from London to Paris to raise money for the Geoff Thomas Foundation, the leukaemia charity of which I was proud to be a trustee.
Tragically, Steve never made it to Paris. His own leukaemia returned, and he died two months before the ride. But he was represented in spirit by some of his closest friends, and their emotional reaction on reaching the Eiffel Tower after three hard days cycling will stay in my memory for ever.
Steve's friends are behind Le Mead - a tiny but effective organisation which generates funds for leukaemia charities in his memory; so far they've raised more than 18 thousand pounds.
This year, their ambitions have stepped up a gear; around a dozen Team Le Mead members will attempt to ride from Venice to Milan in four days, 350 miles over the fearsome Dolomite mountain range. The route includes the frankly terrifying Stelvio Pass, a series of hairpins which rise to more than 2,750 metres. The climbing total for the four-day trip is more than 30-thousand feet, higher than Everest and roughly the cruising altitude of a passenger jet. But on bikes.
Stupidly, I have agreed to ride with them. Please help me, the Geoff Thomas Foundation and Team Le Mead raise money and save lives...
